When you have an unread message, a red notification icon will show on Messages as a reminder. However, you may find nothing in Messages and can’t locate the unread message. That makes you confused and you may don’t know why it occurs. This post from NewsPivot presents the reasons as well as some easy fixes to the “iPhone shows unread messages but there are none” issue.

Why Does My iPhone Show Unread Message but There Are None?

There are various reasons why the iPhone shows unread messages but there are none. Here we list some possible factors that can be to blame.

  1. Software glitches.
  2. Outdated iOS version.
  3. Group texts and voice messages.
  4. Hidden conversations.
  5. Too many message threads.
  6. Insufficient storage.
  7. A poor internet connection.

Best 8 Fixes to “iPhone Shows Unread Messages but There Are None”

Force Restart Your iPhone

Restarting your iPhone is a fix worth trying to solve the “iPhone shows unread messages but there are none” problem. This action can refresh your iPhone and repair some minor system issues so that your iPhone can work perfectly.

Step 1: Press the Volume Up button, then quickly release it.

Step 2: Press the Volume Down button, then quickly release it.

Step 3: Long-press the Side button, and then drag the power icon to the right when the slider appears.

Step 4: Press and hold the Side button again to restart your iPhone.

Ask Siri to Read the Unread Message

Another way to deal with the ghost message on iPhone is to get help from Siri. You can launch Siri and give a voice command to read all the unread messages. Then Siri will read aloud all the texts that you haven’t opened yet. After that, go to Messages to check whether the text messages are still showing.

Tips:
This process might be time-consuming if you have hundreds of messages, because Siri will ask, “Would you like to reply?” and you will have to respond No after Siri reads out each message.

Disallow & Allow Notifications

When your iPhone shows unread messages but there are none, there is an accessible way to fix it. That is turning off notifications for Messages and turning it on again. This solution will refresh notifications for Messages so it can function optimally. Here is a simple guide:

Step 1: Launch Settings > Notifications > Messages.

Step 2: Turn off Allow Notifications, wait for a moment, and then turn it off.

turn off Allow Notifications and turn it on

Quit and Relaunch Message

If Message is running in the background for a long time or your iPhone has multiple tasks, apps may behave abnormally. In this case, you should force quit Messages and relaunch it. By doing so, you can address the iPhone unread message won’t go away issue.

For iPhone with a Home button

  1. Double-click the Home button and all the opened apps will show on the screen.
  2. Locate Messages and swipe it up to close it.

For iPhone with Face ID

  1. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen edge and pause in the middle.
  2. Navigate to Messages and swipe it up.

After a few seconds, open Messages again to see if there are unread messages.

Deactivate and Reactivate iMessage

The error related to iMessage might cause the unread message not showing on iPhone problem. To solve it, you need to reactivate iMessage. Open Settings > Messages > iMessage, toggle it off, and toggle it on after a few seconds. If the unread messages persist, you can export your iMessages to a computer and then delete all the iMessages.

Related post: How to Fix iMessage Needs to Be Enabled to Send This Message.

Delete a Few Messages

You can also delete some messages to solve the ghost message on iPhone. You just need to open the conversation of the contact which shows unread messages and delete a few text messages. Then, close Messages and your problem will be solved.

If that can’t work, try deleting all the messages from the contact that shows unread messages. This solution helps you create storage for new messages to come in. You can take this way when your messages are not that important. Otherwise, you need to back up the messages you want to preserve individually before trying this way.

Reset All Settings

If your iPhone has misconfigured settings, the “iPhone shows unread messages but there are none” issue might happen. You can reset all settings to their default to solve this worrisome problem. Follow these simple steps to perform this operation:

Step 1: Navigate to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone.

Step 2: Tap on Reset > Reset All Settings > input your screen passcode > Reset All Settings to confirm your action.

reset all settings

Update iOS to the Latest Version

In case your iPhone shows unread messages but there are none, it is probably because of the outdated system or a certain bug. Apple releases new updates regularly to fix system glitches, thus you can update the iOS version to fix your problem. To do so, here are the instructions:

Tips:
Please make sure that your iPhone has sufficient battery and good network conditions during the whole process.

Step 1: Go to Settings > General > Software Update.

Step 2: Check whether there is an available update. If yes, tap on Update Now or Download and Install to get the latest iOS version.

tap on Update Now

Sometimes you may encounter software update issues, refer to these two posts:

Conclusion

This post can help you out when the iPhone shows unread messages but there are none. If you have trouble dealing with ghost messages, read the methods mentioned above and have a try. After that, you should have an iPhone without problems.

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About The Author

Tansy

Position: Columnist

Tansy graduated from university with a degree in English. Her articles mainly cover topics such as data backup, disk cloning, and PC/phone tricks. She is dedicated to solving problems that computer users may encounter on their PCs. In her spare time, Tansy enjoys watching movies, gaming, listening to music, hanging out with friends or travelling around.